InuVember 2017
by sunshineisdelicious
Summary: I'm combining NaNoWriMo and InuVember into this hot mess. (Unedited, possibly rambly, technically incomplete, but an attempt nonetheless.)
1. Day 1: Inuyasha

Sometimes Inuyasha wondered what life would have been like if his parents had lived. He didn't do it often. It was usually on new moon nights, as he huddled in whatever cave or abandoned hut he could find.

Those dreams were painful, but they were beautiful, too. He knew he shouldn't wish for things that would never happen. He was a hanyou. Life didn't end happily for a hanyou.

But dreams were all he had now.

So the preteen curled up in the corner of a somewhat dry cave, not daring to sleep even though losing his youki made him as weak and exhaustible as any human, and tried to pretend he was somewhere safe, warm, and happy. Somewhere where he wasn't alone.

As he thought of might-have-beens, the rain pattered. He didn't even notice that his eyes had closed. Slowly, softly, his mind drifted away from the cold and wet, leaving behind the fear and loneliness.

—

Inuyasha woke with the surge of youki as the night of the new moon ended. He groaned and rolled over, burying his face in his futon. The night may be over, but it was still too early to be up. He snuggled under the blankets and fell back asleep.

A while later, he heard light footsteps heading towards his room and knew his mother was coming to get him for breakfast. He sighed. Couldn't he just sleep?

Sure enough, the door slid open and his mother came over, knelt beside him, and rubbed his ears. He hummed happily. Ear rubs were the best. "Inu-chan," she said softly. "It's time to get up."

He grunted and sat up. His mother was smiling at him and he couldn't help but smile back.

"Did you sleep alright?" she asked.

He nodded, rubbing his eyes. "Yeah. Woke up once the moon set, though. It's always surprises me."

She smiled and stood, brushing off the front of her dress. "Well, at least you can sleep through the new moon now," she said, her eyes twinkling.

Inuyasha felt his cheeks heat up. "Mother, I'm not a kid anymore."

She laughed. "Of course not, Inu-chan. Now come on, we're waiting for you."

Breakfast was a quiet affair, as usual. Mornings were peaceful in their home, a time to enjoy each other's company before the day. Since their servants were youkai, they knew how to be quiet enough not to disturb sensitive Inu youkai hearing, and it was just a time for the small family to be together.

Once they had finished, his mother and younger sister, Tsukiko, left to do whatever it was they did during the day. He followed his father outside.

"Son, I think it's time you had your own sword," his father said as they walked down the path to the stables.

Inuyasha nearly tripped. "A sword? What for?" Swords were for war, for fighting. The most fighting he'd ever done was play-sparring with his father and pretending to lose a wrestling match to his sister. What could he possibly need a sword for?

His father sighed. "The world is not always a peaceful place, Inuyasha. And while you are safe here, elsewhere is not as safe for hanyou."

Inuyasha frowned. "Well, I just won't leave, then."

His father laughed, throwing his head back. While Inuyasha usually loved hearing his father laugh, he didn't enjoy being laughed at. He scowled and stalked forward.

He reached the stables and walked over to his dragon-steed, Kazu-Ki, petting their scaly noses, trying to calm down. They huffed and butted their heads against his shoulders, and he led them out of the stable so they could eat and roam.

His father had caught up with him by then and laid a heavy hand on his shoulder. "Forgive me, son. I was surprised. I can't imagine you'd want to spend the rest of your days here with a whole world to explore, and I want you to be prepared."

Inuyasha sighed. "I know. I get it. I just…why? Why fighting, why hatred, why…"

His father was silent. They watched Kazu-Ki as they galloped to the tree line, chasing a small animal.

Eventually, his father let out a breath, sounding more tired than Inuyasha had ever heard him. "I don't know. I wish I could tell you I did. Perhaps fear, or selfishness, or malice. Jealousy, maybe. Or just tradition." He snarled a bit as he listed off tradition, and Inuyasha looked up to see that his normally smooth cheek-stripes had gone jagged.

"Father," Inuyasha said, laying a hand on his arm.

Intense gold eyes met his own. After a moment, his father asked, "Have I ever told you what happened after your mother and I married?"

Inuyasha shook his head slowly. "No. Didn't you come to live here?" He suspected that it wasn't the case, since his father had brought it up now, but he wanted to be sure.

His father turned his gaze back towards the forest. "Her family cut her off for marrying me. Threw her out of their home, out of their village. I'm sure they would have tried to kill her if they'd known she was pregnant."

Inuyasha didn't know what to say. His mother was a happy woman, he thought. She had mentioned her family being unhappy about her marrying Touga, since he was a demon, but they had thrown her out?

After a moment, though, he grinned. He knew some things about the world. "She was already pregnant, huh?"

He had the rare opportunity to see his father flustered, his ears turning red and refusing to meet his eyes. They returned to the house after that, no more revelations forthcoming.

Inuyasha followed the scents of his mother and sister to the room they kept books and instruments. The shoji was pulled back before he could touch it and Tsukiko launched herself at him in a very un-ladylike way.

He laughed and let himself fall over, even though her impact hadn't actually done much of anything. She was still a small thing, half his age and size.

He heard his mother sigh and he grinned. She kept trying to teach Tsukiko how to act like a princess, or at least a civilized individual. The little girl would listen with her black puppy ears turned forward, the picture of studiousness, but as soon as the opportunity presented itself, she was right back to acting however she wanted, all lessons disregarded.

Just like him. Hah.

Tsukiko was growling at him (it was hilariously adorable) and he growled back, making sure to keep the smile on his face so she would know he was playing and not upset. She giggled and scrambled off of him, running down the hall, obviously hoping he would chase her.

But the sight of his mother, still kneeling, eyes downcast, stopped him. "Mother?" he asked quietly, stepping into the room.

She looked up with a smile, but he could smell the salt of her tears. He hurried to kneel in front of her. "Mother, what's wrong? Are you okay?"

She sniffed and let the smile drop. "Darn noses of yours. I can't hide anything around here." She tapped his sensitive nose with a finger, then reached up to scratch one of his ears. "Yes, I'm alright. Just being a mother, that's all. We're allowed to worry sometimes."

They sat in silence and Inuyasha bit his lip. Would his mother tell him more about what happened after she married his father? Might as well try.

"Mother, I was wondering…"

"Hmm?"

"What happened after you married father?"

She stopped scratching, stared at him for a moment, then shot an scowl in the general direction of the study. She mumbled under her breath something about "that man" and "busybody." She turned back to him. "What would you like to know?" She didn't sound incredibly enthused.

He shrugged, kind of regretting asking but already committed. "Just…father said your family…" With a sigh, her shoulders slumped. Inuyasha immediately felt like the worst son in the world. "It's alright, you don't have to tell me," he said, ready to run as far as he could.

Her big grey eyes caught his, though, and he stayed. "I wish it was different," she said softly. "I wish we didn't have to hide here."

Hide? What?

"My family was…angry. Very angry. I was just about to have you when it came to light that you weren't the child of the man my father had picked out for me." She smiled and cupped his cheek in her hand, then smirked. "Thank the gods, too, because he was awful." Her hands fell back to her lap and she seemed to focus on something without seeing it, lost in the past. "Touga came just in time," she continued, even quieter than before. "That…man, that bastard—"

Inuyasha's eyebrows went up. He'd never heard her swear before.

"—he set a trap for Touga, with me as the bait." She blinked hard and Inuyasha could smell the salt of tears again. "I couldn't run. My family, they all left, left for some cousins house like it was a vacation. My nurse stayed, at least, to make sure I would be okay if I gave birth, and he…"

Inuyasha had the feeling his mother had forgotten who she was talking to, but he didn't dare interrupt. In the hall, he heard the near-silent steps of his father. He stopped within hearing range, and Inuyasha returned his focus to his trembling mother.

"…he killed her, right in the walkway, without an ounce of compassion or humanity. He would have killed me, too, if Touga had been any later."

Inuyasha's hands automatically reached out to comfort his mother, but he didn't know what to do. She'd nearly died because of him. He couldn't bear it.

She took a deep breath and steadied herself. "And then we came here, a place your father had been preparing for us. Here we've been ever since. I have no doubt that…that man would be angry with us and pursue us, even now, if he were to find us, so we stay here, where it's safe."

Inuyasha's father came into the room. He looked…angry?

"I thought we agreed on this, Izayoi," he said, shoulders stiff. "It's time for Inuyasha to see the world, to get a sword, to train."

His mother turned her head away, hands clutching the silk of her kimono. "For what? To fight against a world that won't accept him? He's too young."

Inuyasha flinched a little, then started retreating from the room. He'd never seen his parents argue. He didn't like it. He made it into the hallway without them noticing, then turned and fled.

He nearly bowled over Tsukiko as he rounded a corner. She was sitting and playing with a doll. She looked up with big gold eyes. "Brother?"

He hurried past her and out of the house, through the expansive fields and into the forest, running as fast as he could.

Thunder rumbled and he heard rain falling on the trees above him. He ran as far as he'd ever run, right up to the edge of his father's territory. He hesitated only a moment.

Thunder crashed as he leaped over and into the unknown.

—

Inuyasha woke with the surge of youki as the night of the new moon ended. The rain hadn't stopped and it was still thundering.

He frowned. Why had he slept in a cave? His mother must be so worried.

And then he remembered his parents were dead, he had no siblings (none that wanted him, anyways), and he was about as alone as he could be.

Cursing the loss of his youkai strength, Inuyasha curled up and cried.


	2. Day 2: Kagome

Once upon a time, there was a girl who knew things no one else knew.

She knew if her father would be late from work. She knew if her grandpa was really sick or just pretending to be. She knew when her mama was pregnant with her little brother (and that it was a little brother). She knew who was standing behind her at school when they played "Kagome, Kagome."

It didn't really occur to her that no one else could know things the way she did, not until the kids didn't want to play anymore because she could always guess right. Not until someone called her a freak. Not until someone had thrown something at her and laughed.

She had run away once her mama had brought her home, which she knew was really bad and her mama would be mad at her, but she just wanted to be alone. She ran into the woods behind her house and kept running until it felt like she'd finally left those mean words behind. Then she sat down under a tree, curled up into a little ball, and wondered why she was different.

Footsteps crunching over leaves brought her out of her pondering. It sounded like it was coming from the other side of the tree, so she carefully peaked around the side.

There was a man walking towards her, a really tall grown-up with long white hair. He looked kind of scary. His eyebrows were pulled down and he seemed to be looking for something, scanning the ground. Then he looked right at her. His eyes were yellow and intense, and she couldn't do anything but stare at him. They stood like that for a while, just looking at each other, and then he smiled and started walking towards her.

She squeaked and started scrambling away.

"Whoa, hey, kid!"

Why was he following her?! She kept going until her food caught on a bush and she fell to her knees. She gasped.

"Shit, are you okay?" The man knelt next to her. She trembled and tried to scoot away. Mama had said strangers could be bad, could try to take her away forever. She had to run back to mama if she didn't feel safe. But now she couldn't run, she was far away from mama, and the man was already here, reaching out for her.

"No!" she screamed, swatting away his hand. "Leave me alone! Go away!"

He sat back on his heels, his eye wide. Then he smiled again. "Kid, I'm not gonna hurt you."

She shook her head and closed her eyes tight. "No, no, no. I don't want to, leave me alone!"

He sighed and then sat cross-legged on the ground. "You're hurt. And lost, I bet. What are you even doing out here?"

Slowly, she opened her eyes and looked up. The man was sitting far enough away that he couldn't touch her. She frowned and scooted a bit farther away, but she didn't try to run. He didn't look so scary now. Just weird.

They sat quietly for a while. "I'm…uh, I'm Yoshi," he said eventually. "And you're Kagome, right?"

She sat up straight and glared at him. "How do you know my name?" She thought she sounded really scary and tough and mentally congratulated herself.

The man covered his mouth and looked away for a moment, his shoulders shaking. After he took a deep breath, he said, "I know your mother. Higurashi-san tells stories about you, about how smart and brave you are."

Kagome squinted at him. "How do I know you're not lying?"

He tilted his head and she thought he looked an awful lot like a confused puppy. "Well, lets see. I know your family. I know your mother likes to take pictures of you in front of Goshinboku whenever something important happens. And I know your grandpa likes to play Go. And your mother makes really good cookies."

She looked at him while he talked, stared him straight in the eyes and let herself _know_ if he was telling the truth. She only felt…warm. Happy. Safe. So she relaxed. "Okay, Yoshi-san. I believe you." He looked surprised, so she patted over her heart and said, "I can feel it. I know you're telling the truth."

He smiled at her, then gestured to her knees. "Are you okay? You really took a tumble."

Looking down at her skinned knees, she frowned. She hadn't really noticed it before, but now she could feel how much they stung. She blinked tears out of her eyes. "Yeah. They just kind of hurt now."

He shuffled closer and held out his arms. "Can I take you home? I bet your mother's worried about you."

She sniffed and nodded, and he scooped her up and held her against his chest, then turned and started walking.

"So why are you way out here?" he asked after a little bit.

She sighed. "I dunno. I didn't want to tell mama."

"Tell her what?"

Frowning, she carefully brushed one her new scratches, trying to clean it. "Someone was mean. They called me names, and…and someone threw a rock at me."

Yoshi-san stopped abruptly and looked down at her. His eyes looked more gold than yellow up close. He scowled and said, "What?"

She frowned back. "It wasn't my fault." Then she hung her head. "It's just…do you know the game 'Kagome, Kagome,' the one where you have to guess who's behind you?" He said that he did. "I can always tell. Even if they switch. Even if they try to trick me. They said I was cheating." Looking up quickly, she added, "But I wasn't! I don't cheat! I just know who it is!"

"So someone threw a rock at you because you kept winning?"

She slumped again, snuggling into his warm shirt. "They…they called me a freak. They said I was weird. No one wanted to play with me anymore, even other games."

They stood quietly for a while. When Yoshi-san didn't say anything, she looked up at him. He looked so sad, so brokenhearted, that she couldn't help but throw her tiny arms around his neck. "It's okay, Yoshi-san! Please don't be sad."

He gave a low chuckle and brought one hand up to her back to hold her close. "I'm fine, Kagome. I'm just upset people were mean to you, since you're just about the nicest little girl in the world."

She giggled and let go of the hug. "Nuh-uh. Not all the time. And if anyone beats up my little brother, I'm gonna beat them up even harder."

Laughing, he started walking again. "Your brother's just a baby now, isn't he? Who's going to beat up a baby?"

She crossed her arms and looked up at him like he was an idiot. "He's not gonna be a baby forever. Duh. And then I'll be bigger and I won't be scared of anything."

"Keh. Yeah, let's see how that goes."

"I will! I'll be really brave!"

"Oh, I believe you, kid."

They reached the edge of the forest. Kagome perked up. "Hey, there's Goshinboku! We're almost home!"

He set her down on her feet, and she looked up at him, confused. He reached out and ruffled her hair. "I've got somewhere to be, kid. Can you make it home from here?"

She smiled and nodded, then gave a little bow. "Thank you, Yoshi-san."

He smiled back and it was the most beautiful thing Kagome had ever seen. His eyes sparkled and it was liking standing in the warm sun after being inside too long. "You're welcome. I'll see you later, okay?"

She nodded and watched as he turned around and walked back into the trees, then started walking back home. She heard her mama calling for her and yelled, "I'm right here, mama!"

—

Inuyasha walked back through the trees to the cozy little house he shared with his wife. He couldn't keep the smile off his face as he went. As he stepped inside the house, his wife turned from the table covered with papers from whatever project she was working on now.

"And what's got you in such a good mood?" she asked with a laugh when he pulled her in for a kiss.

He kissed her forehead and held her close. "You'll never guess who I met today."

She knew.


	3. Day 3: Miroku

If Miroku had been given a choice to be whatever he chose, he probably wouldn't have picked a monk. Indeed, Sango seemed to think he had chosen the wrong path as she stood over him, raging at his most recent attempt at seduction. He heard Inuyasha scoff, Kagome sigh, and Shippou laugh. Eventually Sango felt she had said enough and stalked off. He was left staring into the blue sky as his friends discussed stopping for lunch.

He sighed. Was he cut out for being a monk? He had to admit, he had spiritual powers that others did not, and thus felt that he should make use of them. And the only way to do that was to be a monk or priest if he didn't want unsavory characters petitioning him for truly nefarious deeds. At least spiritual men usually seemed to avoid that.

No, no, it was better that he was a monk. He helped people. People believed him when he spoke. He knew what they wanted and he could tell them what they wanted to hear. It didn't hurt that he could scam a few families of ill-gotten wealth as well. He thought of it as karma.

And the ordinary people needed some kind of solace. War surrounded them, threatened them, from humans and youkai alike, and there was little assurance they would live well, if live at all. In his teachings, he offered peace. They could live meaningful, peaceful, pleasant lives. Well, when he actually taught. Most of his actual work as a traveling monk was done when he and his friends desired shelter.

He held his sealed hand in front of his face. How strange it was that he had been cursed and yet brought blessings to others. Did that mean his blessings were also cursed?

He quickly sat up. There was nothing to be gained from dwelling on such things. He knew this from past experience, past sleepless nights. He hurried to join his friends, adding his opinion to the chatter.

The thought would not leave him, though.

It followed him well into the night, and he decided to meditate to clear his head. It had worked before.

He sat near the fire and closed his eyes, bringing his focus away from the world around him and letting himself be at peace.

A log in the fire snapped and Miroku adjusted his stance.

Shippou mumbled in his sleep from where he lay snuggled against Kirara. Kirara growled in response, which caused Sango to move, which distracted Miroku as he wondered what falling asleep next to her would be like. Which had him thinking about marrying Sango, which included a family, which included the possibility that any child he sired would have the same curse he carried carved into their hand.

He took a deep breath and let it out. Thinking along such lines was not his goal. He desired peace.

Mushin had called this Zen Buddhism. There were many forms, and many places to practice those forms. He focused on that, on specific teachings, since his mind seemed determined to wander.

Kagome closed her school book and stuffed it into her bag, where it slid between packages of food and first aid supplies. She bid Inuyasha a soft goodnight as she tucked herself into her sleeping bag, asking him to wake her just after sunrise so she could start breakfast. Inuyasha had yet to take his customary position in the trees overlooking their camp and Miroku had the rare opportunity to hear Inuyasha actually respond in kind to their lady companion, a soft and somewhat longing goodnight with a promise that he would see her in the morning.

Miroku imagined a similar ritual he might share with the woman he loved. A whispered goodnight as others slept—perhaps their children—gentle smiles and the promise of a new, shared day on the other side of night. If he ever told Sango how he felt, that is, and if she ever believed him, and if Naraku was no longer a threat to their future and happiness, and if he did not fall asleep wondering if he would wake up or if the void would swallow him and all he loved in the night.

He let out a huff and opened his eyes. This wasn't working at all.

"Oi," Inuyasha said from his place near Kagome, quiet enough not to wake the others. Miroku looked over at him. The hanyou was frowning, but that really wasn't anything unusual. "Thought you fell asleep sitting up."

Miroku mustered a smile and waved his hand. "Oh, no, my friend, just meditating before I sleep. I really should get back into the habit."

One of Inuyasha's eyebrows climbed up far enough to be hidden under his bangs. "Seriously?"

Huffing, Miroku folded his arms. "Yes, I'm quite serious." Inuyasha's other eyebrow rose up as well. Miroku sniffed and turned to lie down. "I am a trained monk, thank you very much. I take my job seriously."

Inuyasha gave a bark of laughter that startled Shippou into sitting half up, still mostly asleep. Both Miroku and Inuyasha held their breaths, silently begging him to just lie down and go back to sleep. He did, mumbling about acorns. Both men let out a sigh of relief. If Shippou woke, he would wake Kagome, who would wake Sango, and eventually two grumpy and sleep-deprived women would make the next day a living nightmare.

Satisfied that danger had passed, Inuyasha turned his smirk back to Miroku. He didn't even say anything.

His hanyou friend was being entirely too smug for no good reason. Miroku made himself comfortable and closed his eyes. He ignored the low chuckle from Inuyasha as he jumped up and landed near silently on an overhead branch. It was not until the next morning that Miroku realized he'd fallen asleep without worrying about his curse any further. He smiled and considered the benefits of a particularly difficult friend when one needed a distraction.


	4. Day 4: Sango

Sango sat near the gate of the town, drawing patterns in the dirt and waiting to hear the calls of her father and the other taijiya as they returned from their most recent assignment. Father had said no more than ten days. It was now day twelve.

The crunch of sandals against dirt and stone had her turning to see who was coming. It was her mother, with her baby brother tied to her back.

"Sango, dear, why don't you come for lunch?"

Sango shook her head and looked back to the gate. "Not hungry."

Her mother put one hand on her hip. "Sango, growing taijiya need to eat. Even when they miss their fathers."

"But—"

"No buts! Now come on." Her mother held out a hand.

Sango groaned and whined, but got to her feet and took the hand.

They walked the short way back to their home. Sango stared at the dirt as she walked, kicking pebbles that were in their path. Once they were situated at home, their food before them and Kohaku on a blanket a safe distance from the fire, Sango asked, "Why is father taking so long?"

Her mother sighed. "I don't know. It could be any number of things. Maybe their assignment took longer than they thought, or maybe they found a village that needs their help."

"But what if he never ever comes home?" Sango asked, slapping her tiny hands on the ground, eyes squeezed shut. "What if they got hurt and I never see him again?"

Sango could hear her mother put down her food and scoot to kneel next to her. "Now where did you get such an idea?" she asked, stroking her back.

Sango sniffed and pulled her hands up to press against her tummy. She felt sick. "Tomoyo said her brother left and never came back."

Her mother was quiet for a while. Sango looked up at her. She was biting her bottom lip. After a sigh, her mother said, "Yes, that is true. Tomoyo's brother went out for an assignment and didn't come back. Do…do you know why?"

"She said he was dead. That…that dead means you don't ever see them again." Tears welled up. "I want to see father! I don't want him to be dead!"

Sango found herself picked up and in her mother's lap. She turned and cried into her kimono while her mother stroked her hair. When she had calmed down, her mother started talking softly.

"You're still very young, Sango, but I think you should understand about how dangerous the work we taijiya do is. Yes, Tomoyo's brother didn't come back. He was supposed to stay near his father, where he was safe. He wanted to show how brave he was, so he went after the demon they were tracking on his own, but he wasn't ready. If…when you go out, with either father or me, you must be sure to listen to what we tell you, alright?"

"But what if you are dead? What if father is dead?" Sango sniffed and rubbed her nose with her sleeve. "I'll never see you again."

"Father and I have both trained a very long time, Sango. And we never go out alone. We always have someone else there. And—"

"But what if you're dead?!"

Kohaku started fussing and her mother made shushing noises and pulled the baby's blanket over to them, dragging the little boy along with it. She picked up Kohaku, held him with one arm, and held Sango close with the other.

"Well, now. I've got both my darlings here." She planted a kiss on each of their foreheads. Kohaku quieted down and snuggled against their mother, tiny hands grabbing at nothing. Sango sat still, waiting for her mother's response. At length, the dark-haired woman said, "If—and this is a big if, mind you—if father and I were…to die…which isn't happening anytime soon, dear Sango…you'd have to look after yourself and your little brother. The whole village will help, so you won't be alone, but you'd be in charge of making sure Kohaku is safe."

Sango squinted at her brother. He had recently stopped looking like a weird root, like he had looked right after he had been born, and more like a normal little baby, but he was still noisy, messy, and couldn't do anything. "Really? Do I have to?"

Her mother laughed. "Yes. But like I said, your father and I train a lot, and we know how to be safe. We won't be leaving you anytime soon."

"Now what's this I hear about leaving?" a low voice called from the entryway.

"Father!" Sango cried, leaping from her mother's lap and throwing herself into her father's waiting arms. "You're back, you're back!"

"Well, of course I'm back! Silly little girl. I said twelve days, didn't I?"

Sango blinked up at him. "What? No, you said ten."

Her father put on a very serious face and shook his head. "No, no. I'm quite sure I said twelve. Isn't that right, my darling wife?"

Said darling wife was giving her darling husband a very unamused stare. "I can't recall either way," she said dryly, moving to stand.

"He said ten! Ten! I remember, I remember!"

Her father deposited her on the ground. "Well, now that's just silly. Why would I say ten when I meant twelve? You must be getting older, Sango. You're already forgetting things!"

Sango continued to howl and stamp her little foot. She barely noticed her father sweeping her mother into his arms and kissing her, careful of the little baby between them. She did notice when it went on for a whole lot longer than Sango thought was really necessary. She groaned and went back to the fire to finish her food. Parents were gross.

When her mother put Kohaku next to her and told her not to let him get close to the fire while she and father went out to talk, Sango nodded. L"Don't worry, little brother," she said, patting his little belly as he blinked up at her. "I'll take care of you."


	5. Day 5: Shippou

There were few things that delighted Shippou more than a good prank. The unassuming victim, the surprise at the big reveal, and then, in InuYasha's case, a rage-induced chase.

Now, though, he was pranking Kagome. He was positive she would never see it coming. He had to keep from wriggling as he waited in disguise, glancing at the door and waiting to make his entrance.

Oh, this prank had taken ages to set up. Research, communication and collaboration, disguise—all of it was needed to make this the _best. Prank. Ever._

He patted the bag he was carrying and resisted to urge to check it again. He had all the things he needed. He'd done all the hard work. He still had to lure Kagome into a sense of normalcy before he revealed who he was, true, but that was the fun part.

Ah! It was time. A woman he didn't know came out the door and gave him a slight bow as she walked past. He returned it, took a deep breath, and walked into the room. He did a quick scan of the room and saw where Kagome was seated, but was sure not to look at her longer than anyone else.

 _She has no idea!_

The group waiting in the room rose and greeted him. He couldn't help but smile.

"Hello, students. I am Watanabe-san, and I'll be your history teacher this year."


End file.
